Copper Charmer

(King Koal x Ellaloya)

1995 Liver Chestnut

AHA # 523155

SCID's Clear

Fee: $400

Live Cover

Shipped Semen

    Copper and I have quite a history together. I believe I was 15 when I received the sales video from My-Bon Arabians in Garrison, ND. There were a lot of nice horses on the video but I fell in love with 2 nice colts, My Prince Charming and Copper Charmer. By process of elimination, Prince was too expensive and sold pretty quickly, Copper became my favorite, my obsession.

     Ok, now the problem. I'm 15 don't have a job and my parents certainly are not going to buy me a horse. So what does one do? Watch the video daily, talk to Bonnie several times a month to make sure they haven't sold Copper, and wait. I eventually turn 16 get a job and save almost every penny. On Christmas 1997 I sent Bonnie a $1,000 down payment. Success, Copper was almost mine!! On Jan. 30 I lost my job. With my final check I paid Copper off. He was officially mine, but I was in Ohio and he was in North Dakota, PROBLEM!!!! By the way, my dad still isn't aware that I bought a horse :-P Bonnie talks me into putting insurance on him since he is so far away. She also pulls some strings with the hauling company and which allows me to make payments to them.

     I have a few days to find a place to board him. Since the pasture I had lined up still had mares in it because their owner hadn't moved them like she said she was going to! I tell my dad I bought a horse and he's on his way from ND and I need to find a place to keep him. Dad wasn't happy! (Wonder why)? I find a really nice place to keep Copper and it's only 3 miles from my house. On Feb. 23, 1998, 22 days before my 18 birthday, Copper and I begin our lives together.

    With the barn owner, Julie's guidance I train Copper to ground drive. By Fall I muster the guts to get on him, with as easily as he took to it I still wonder why I was so scared to get on him!

    I had dreams for my boy, he was going to do endurance races, and reining. Arabs are known for their stamina and I wanted to see the country on the back of MY horse. He was also quick and catty in his movement with quick stops and fast roll backs. I saw no reason he couldn't have careers in both.

    Copper had the winter off then in the Spring of 1999 we really go to work on his saddle training. I'd occasionally take a lesson from Julie. Then in between lessons I'd work on what I'd learned. After one particularly hard ride of Copper fighting me, he finally gave in to what I was asking, so I ended the lesson. I had no sooner had both my feet on the ground when he lay down. A vet bill later showed he had a Selenium deficiency, which made him "tie up." The vet told me I was lucky because a lot of horses don't get back up once they've gone down from tying up. With vitamin E and Selenium supplement he was fine.

    We trail rode with the other horses on the farm. I was at my highest. I was a senior in High School, I could ride whenever I wanted. Life was grand!

     On July 13, 1999 I was riding Copper in an open field working on bending, flexing and giving his face. Copper of course had other ideas (run and play) and was fighting me. I never even saw the hole he stepped into cause I wasn't paying attention. Up and over his head I go, when I hit the ground I heard something sounding similar to breaking glass, and assumed it was my helmet cracking. I stand up and my shoulder is stiff I figured I had just jammed it when I fell on it, so I raise my arm over my head to stretch it out. Some people have black outs, I WHITED out, the pain was so great. I conclude my collar bone is broken. I trek towards the road where I see Copper squaring off with a car (good thing it was a country road). I get Copper and the car speeds by, doesn't even bother to ask if I'm OK. I try to mount, nope, ain't happening, another white out. Copper and I begin the long trek back to the barn. Every  so often I have to sit down because I white out. When I did this Copper would take his top lip and rub it on the back of my neck. Finally a car stops to help. I ended up with a broken collar bone (snapped in half) and 5 1/2 weeks till my sisters wedding! No concussion Thank you helmet!

      That fall, my mom and I took him to Malibar Farm where she hiked while I rode. It was nice. Then in November Toy Story 2 came out in theaters. I worked at a movie theater, so we built a stall outside for opening weekend. Copper went to the movies to portray Bullseye. He was a hit. Nobody believed he was an Arabian let alone a stallion.

    Disaster came May 29, 2000.